Ardbeg conjures up ‘drinkable cloud’

Ardbeg is transporting the Islay weather into a glass thanks to a new, hi-tech carafe that recreates the Scottish island’s thick coastal mists.

Venues including Hakkasan Mayfair and Dabbous in London, Hawksmoor in Manchester and Tigerlily in Edinburgh are serving the brand’s peaty 10-year-old, Uigeadail and Corryvreckan expressions in an “Ardbeg Haar” carafe, which uses ultrasound pads and crystals to create vibrations that turn the liquid into a cloud of small droplets.

This cloud slowly moves up the funnel of the carafe before being collected in a glass, from where the liquid can be sipped through a straw featuring holes in the sides rather than the bottom to “enhance” the drinker’s experience.

Named after the Scots Gaelic word “haar”, which is used to describe the fog that rolls in from the sea and covers the island, the carafe was developed in collaboration with Harvard Professor and inventor David Edwards and Parisian contemporary art and design centre Le Laboratoire.

“The haar rolling in from the sea is as familiar a sight to island life as the precious peat which influences our whiskies,” said Dr Bill Lumsden, director of distilling and whisky creation for the The Glenmorangie Company, as he outlined the inspiration behind this new initiative.

“We believe that in this sampling ritual we have captured the essence of its elusive qualities. The swirling mist will intrigue, immersing people in the aromas, tastes and textures of the ultimate Islay malt whisky.”